Heritage (Next Generation Harry Potter)
by shayisaslytherin
Summary: Twenty two years after the fall of Lord Voldemort, Ellianna Malfoy and her twin brother board the Hogwarts Express for their first time as fifth years. While at Hogwarts they meet new friends, learn new things about themselves and the world, and hope to escape their family's terrible past. But a secret threatens the new life they have found at Hogwarts.
1. Prologue

_"Close your eyes, little girl. You're a princess now, you own this world." _

She small, raven haired woman was clutching a small bundle as she rocked gently back and forth in front of a small fire. The light was fading from the fireplace, but still provided enough light for her to make out the face of her newborn daughter.

_"Twirling in your twirly dress, you're the loveliest, far above the rest." _

The woman sang softly, lulling the baby to sleep. The newborn scarcely slept, and required constant care and attention from her parents. By all means, she shouldn't be alive. She has defied the realm of normalcy from the moment her parents had been told that they were expecting a girl. She was a miracle, and not only because she was alive and breathing now.

_"You build your castles in the skies, stars reflecting off your eyes." _

The woman stubbornly ignored the warnings, the prophecies, and the curses that came with her daughter. All of them did. She was beautiful, and she was perfect.

_"And angels sing on silver clouds. And no one cries, screams or shouts." _

The child was loved, and cared for. Her mother thought, and if she was raised properly, she would never do those terrible things that the seer said she was destined to do. If the child was raised right, she would defy the curse that she was born with.

_"Oh set apart this dream, set apart this dream for me. Set apart this dream for me." _

Anyways, the whole study of divination was rubbish.

**The lyrics are from the song "Set Apart this Dream" by Flyleaf. I am not J.K. Rowling, and many of the characters and story line originate from her works. **


	2. Chapter 1

Most people are kindest to me before they find out about my family. Most smile at me, wave, or sometimes even come up and introduce themselves to me. That is, until they find out about my family. Then they hurry away, looking ashamed that they would ever speak to someone like me. Not that I ever did anything.  
Yes, once I did break my brothers arm while playing Quidditch in the back yard, and I may be a bit harsh with other people, but that doesn't mean that a complete and total stranger should judge me so fiercely once they hear my name.

Ellianna Lucia Malfoy, apparently is a very intimidating name. Honestly, people probably would react better when they hear my name if I decided to go by Lucifer or Satan.

Regardless, when people hear my name they immediately think of my father, grandfather, and grandmother. If they don't know who the infamous Draco and Lucius Malfoy are, they are promptly informed by someone else who I just am exactly. People will warn others to stay away from "that Malfoy child," (or occasionally "those Malfoy children" when they are talking about me and my brothers.)

So naturally, I was nervous to start at Hogwarts. Not only because others were always terrified I would use the killing curse on them if they annoyed me, but because I was entering school for the first time as a fifth year.

I stood behind the crowd with my two brothers by my side and my cat in my arms. Our parents had dropped us off, made sure all our luggage got out of the car, and said their goodbyes within the time span of five minutes. I can't say that I blame them for their hasty retreat, I would too if I had the choice.

"Dad!" I heard a little voice call out a few meters away from me. I looked and saw a little girl run up to her father. I would guess that she was a first year, judging by her size. "Dad, look! See how many people are here! There are more than last year I think!"

Her father wasn't the one who answered. "Lil, what makes you think that? I don't see anyone new here except for a few first years." I assumed this was her older brother, they looked alike except that instead of red hair, he had black.

The girl, Lil, looked around for a moment before spotting me and my brothers standing awkwardly at the edge of the crowd. "What about them? I haven't seen those two before. They certainly don't look like first years."

At this point of their conversation, a whole group had joined them. Their gazed followed where the girl what pointing. There were four adults in the group, and when they saw us, they immediately looked at each other with what I guessed was panic.

Lil's dad looked up again and said to the woman next to him, "I think those are Malfoy's kids."

The woman nodded in agreement. "They are certainly pale enough, and that boy looks just like him."

The man next to him announced loudly, "Yep, they are definitely Draco's. The little one is Scorpius. You know, the one that Rosie accidentally poisoned in potions?"

I grimaced, and decided that I really didn't need to hear anymore. Grabbing the end of my trunk, I strutted foreword, not really caring if my brothers were following me or not. I passed the Weasleys (for the only person who poisoned Scorpius in potions was a Rosie Weasley) and presumably the Potters. It was time to board the train anyways.

My parents didn't really talk a lot about the Weasley's and Potters, which wasn't surprising. My father stayed well away from topics that could link him to his involvement with the Dark Lord. In fact, there was an unspoken rule in our household that no one is to speak of anything that happened before we were born. My grandfather, however, had no such qualms about speaking of the past. When it came to the Potters and the Weasleys, all he would do was rage against "Those filthy mudbloods!" And "Despicable blood-traitors!" while shaking uncontrollably.

Whenever this happened, Dad told me to ignore him, and forget what he was saying. Grandfather was sick in the head, and I am not allowed to repeat anything that he says outside of the house.

I was one of the first people to get on the Hogwarts Express, leaving me free to chose almost any seat I wanted to. I walked down the corridor until I reached the last compartment. As quietly as possible, I hoisted up my belongings above to the storage compartment above, and settled down in my seat. Origiani, my little Siamese kitten, mewled in protest as I sat down, then promptly fell asleep when I made myself comfortable. I could feel her purr as I absentmindedly stroked her fur.

"Ellia!"

At that precise moment, I didn't really feel like answering. Yeah, I would prefer it if someone would come and sit with me, but right now I just felt too lazy to really respond.

I heard my twin brother, Eleazar, call out for me a few more times before finding my compartment.

"God!" He exclaimed. "Did you ever think, just once of answering me? Just like you, I don't know anyone here, and I sure as hell don't want to sit alone."

I grinned in response, knowing that would annoy him more than anything else.

He glared at me, but continued babbling on. "I know that Dad would probably want me to be sorted into Slytherin. After all, he was one, and according to Grandmother, he was the greatest Slytherin to ever slither this school. Scorpius is in Slytherin after all, and siblings usually get sorted into the same house. But I kind of don't want to be in Slytherin, you know?" He gave no time for me to respond. "It would be easier for people to not immediately think I am evil, and such, if I were in Gryffindor, or something like that. God, I wish that I came to school my first year like Scorp. What house do you think I am going to be sorted into?"

"Sorry to break it to you, Eli, but you are definitely evil, and must automatically be placed into Slytherin." I said, trying to make myself look as severe as possible. His face fell, and the skin around his eyes crinkled in frustration. "I mean," I continued grinning, "You did chase me around the house threatening to curse me into the next century this morning."

"I did not!" Eleazar bellowed, looking extremely pissed off. He stopped and thought about it. "And even if I did, it was because you hid my broomstick!"

I just grinned again. It was astonishing how different we could be. Yes, we were twins, but almost no one is able to tell. As one of the Weasleys pointed out earlier today, all three of us Malfoy children had inherited my fathers pale "sheet-like" complexion, but other than that, we hardly looked alike. I had ink black hair, waist length hair that curled slightly at the ends, whereas Eleazar and Scorpius had hair so blonde, it was almost white. I was also, very short for my age, far shorter than both of my brothers. More often than not, people assume that I am younger than both Eli and Scorp, despite being (technically) older than both of them. I take after my mother, except for my grey eyes. The boys take after my father, except for Eli's taller build, and Scorp's brown eyes.

Eleazar sat down next to me, and pulled out a book, no longer feeling like talking. That suited me just fine, as long as the compartment stayed silent.

Unfortunately, the quiet only lasted a few sweet moments. A group of teenagers waltzed into the compartment like they owned the place. There were five of them, two girls and three guys, all of them decked out in Gryffindor colors. Two of the boys were tall, one with black hair, and the other with light brown hair. The third boy was blonde, slightly pudgy, and just shy of average height. The girl closest to me, had auburn hair and a slight frame. The last girl was blonde, absurdly tall and thin.

"Oh, hey!" the tall boy with the black hair said when he saw me and Eleazar. "Is it alright if we sit back here? There aren't any empty compartments."

Me and my brother exchanged a glance before nodding yes.

"Thanks! I'm Jem by the way," said the dark haired guy, then gesturing to his friend with brown hair then the blonde, "and this is Phoenix and Nikolai." The three of them smiled and mumbled their various "hi's" and "hello's".

"I am Violetta Elyon," beamed the tall blonde. She actually leaned down and gave me a hug. "And that is Rosie," she gestured to the auburn haired girl, "Rosie Weasley. Pay no mind to her, she is in a bad mood. Jem told her that she probably won't make the Quidditch team."

Rosie shot her friend an annoyed look and scowled at Jem and myself before flopping down on the seat. She didn't bother denying that she was being grumpy.

I tried my best to genuinely smile at them. "I am Ellia, and this is my brother Eleazar."

"Eli, please," my brother protested.

"Cool," Phoenix said. "So how come I have never seen you at school before? You both look too old to be first years."

"We are fifth years," I said, "and our parents decided to have us tutored for a while. We decided this year that we would rather go to Hogwarts."

"Why would anyone want to only tutor at home?" Rosie griped from her seat. "How could anyone stand being at home for that long? Do you meet a lot of people?"

I sighed. People always ask this question, and it always bugs me. I was saved from responding when Eli spoke up. "We actually meet a lot of people. Our parents would take us with us as they traveled for business, and we both took up a lot of different hobbies. I think we were out of the house more than we were home."

The conversation continued, Rosie would occasionally snap something into the conversation, Jem and Violetta were polite, Phoenix was very energetically changing the subject every few moments, and Nikolai asked occasional questions, but he really didn't seem that interested. I didn't really say a lot, but Eleazar was more than happy to make up where I was lacking. This is probably a good thing in the long run. My brother is usually very quiet, and I am usually the one who keeps up the conversation.

Sort of paying attention to the conversation, I just stroked Origiani.

"What house do you think you are going to be sorted into?" Phoenix asked.

"I don't know," Eli said.

"My mom is a Gryffindor, and my dad and pretty much everyone else in my family are Slytherins. Our little brother is a Slytherin." I said. "We are probably going to be in one or the other."

Its funny, really, when I think about it. When you think about it, most of the time Slytherins and Gryffindors don't get very close to each other. While in school, they clash with each other and are pretty much mortal enemies. When these Hogwarts graduates leave school they aren't necessarily about to kill each other, and they learn to cope with people from the other house. That doesn't mean that the amnesty is completely gone, but they learn to cope. My parents are a rare exception of this. I have been told that they were never friends during school, and that they met a few years after the battle for Hogwarts. My mom says that they fell in love at a party, and everything after that, including the fact that they were in opposing houses, ceased to matter.

"I hope you guys get sorted into Gryffindor, then!" Violetta smiled as she exclaimed. "Then we can see each other all the time. I guess even if you aren't, we will see one another in classes. But still." She shrugged.

"All of us except Rosie," Nikolai said, opening his mouth for the first time. "All of us are fifth years except her, she's a fourth year."

"But of course, it would be nicer if you would be sorted into our house." Jem said. "We are almost there," he gestured out the windows.

I looked out and saw in the distance what would be my home for the next few months, and I hoped I would be happy here. But most of all, I hoped that I could be me here, not my family's mistakes.

**Hey there! I'm Shayisaslytherin! This is my first attempt at fanfiction, and I would appreciate a bit of feedback. Please let me know what you think! **


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I have no words to describe how I feel as I am waiting to be sorted into a house. I guess nervous would be a good general term to sum up what I feel, and scared (though I will never admit it to anyone under the threat of death.) I fully recognize that if I were placed into Slytherin, people will be a lot quicker to judge me and mentally connect me to the Death Eaters that my family had been involved with for two generations. If I were, however, placed in Gryffindor, I can just imagine how disappointed my grandparents would be, and how I would be the first person born into the Malfoy family to be sorted into anything other than Slytherin. My mother probably wouldn't care so much, she would actually be proud.

I sighed, and looked around for my brothers. We had been separated, and I hadn't seen them, or the Gryffindors that I met on the train, since we reached the school. Scorpius was sitting at the Slytherin table, talking to a couple other second years, and Eleazar was lost in the crowd of first years, waiting to get sorted.

As I was glancing around the room, Jem, who was sitting at the Gryffindor table, gave a little wave and what I supposed was a encouraging smile. I forced my lips to move in what I hopped was a decent smile, but I am pretty sure I looked like I was sneering.

I wasn't able to see Jem's reaction, Headmistress McGonagall had gotten up and welcomed everyone here. As soon as she started to talk, I was overcome with nerves once again. I couldn't make out the specific words that she was saying, just the steady hum of her voice as she droned on. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as time seemed to drag on. I shouldn't be here, this is a mistake. What was I thinking when I thought that this was a good idea?

Oh god.

What if I get sorted into Hufflepuff?

Oh bloody hell, please not Hufflepuff.

A hand grabbed my shoulder. I looked up and saw Professor Trewlaney shaking me. I was launched back into the real world once again, as a round of laughter sounded around me.

The headmistress cleared her throat, then repeated (I later found out for the 5th time) "Ellianna Malfoy."

I blanched as I realized that I had accidentally ignored the headmistress. I shot a panicked look around the room. The Gryffindors that I had meet on the train looked shocked, and slightly intimidated. My brothers were laughing at me, Scorpius from the Slytherin table, and Eli from the Gryffindor table.

Wait. What? Eleazar is a Gryffindor?

"Miss Malfoy, we are waiting," grumbled headmistress McGonagall. Trewlaney gave me a little push, and I went up.

I hadn't realized that the sorting hat had been placed on my head until I head a voice.

"Hmmm, what do we have here. Another Malfoy? Yes, yes, I could place you in Slytherin, you are certainly sly enough. But your mother was a Gryffindor, and you inherited her good heart. You could do well in Gryffindor. You in fact, have many qualities that would make any house good for you. You are clever enough to be in Ravenclaw and loyal to those you love like those in Hufflepuff."

Please not Hufflepuff, I repeated over and over again in my head.

"Okay then, have it your way. SLYTHERIN!" The hat bellowed.

I felt relieved. No, I felt disappointed. Actually, I am not sure what I felt. I couldn't tell you if I felt nothing, or everything all at once. For whatever reason, I walked to join my house as I laughed.

"Hey, come sit next to me!" A boy with curly brown hair called out. He looked to be either a 5th or 6th year, but I couldn't tell. "Wouldn't want you to sit next to the first years."

"Thanks," I said, and snickered. I plopped down to the seat next to his. "I wouldn't have wanted to sit next to the first years, anyways."

"I'm Orion, last name Crabbe."

"Hello Orion last name Crabbe. I am Ellia Malfoy." I deadpanned as I picked over my food.

"That's a stupid way to introduce yourself, Orion. I told you that it wasn't funny at least twice as you were practicing that introduction in the mirror this morning." snapped the girl next to him. "I am Estella Crabbe, and we all know who you are. Your family is pretty much famous." She extended her hand, which I tentatively shook, laughing a bit as she flipped her hair in the most ridiculous way possible. Like seriously, who flips their hair anymore? To make the whole hair flipping business more amusing, she knocked over Orion's goblet over with her curly tresses. This of course, caused the whole table to erupt in laughter.

"And I told you at least a dozen times that flipping your hair is not cute," responded Orion as he picked up his goblet. Estella huffed, but didn't bother continuing the banter.

"And I," exclaimed a boy across the table from me, "am Devonian Zambini. Ta-da!" He thrust his arms out and did a jazz hands like motion while gesturing to himself. "Stick with me kid, and you will have the time of your life." He winked as Estella yanked him back into his seat.

I ignored him. I am pretty sure his definition of fun doesn't correspond with mine.

By the end of the night, I had meet almost all of the 5th years in Slytherin, though I won't bother telling you all of their names here. Most of them, I had never really met before. Since we were (for the most part) all pure-bloods, I had at the very least recognized their names. There were a few that I had met before when my family has thrown parties at the manor house. I hadn't really gotten along well, per say, with these few that have previously had the privilege of meeting me.

Take for example, Phillipa Parkinson. Once, my father threw a Christmas party at the manor for his business partners to further relationships with other pure-blood families. Being ten years old, and only starting to really get a grasp with magic, I accidentally permanently cursed her hair to always be a icky lime green color. To this day, I have been told that she still needs to dye it brown to keep the green from showing. But honestly, how was I supposed to react when she was attempting to drown my cat to see if she really did have nine lives?

I listened to the other Slytherins talk, mostly about frivolous things like who is dating who, who slept with who, and so on as I picked over my food. Most of the topics discussed were silly to me. Honestly, who cares? If Eli had been with me, we probably would have laughed at the pointlessness of the conversation.

While I was bored out of my wits, my twin was laughing with the Gryffindors that we had met on the train, having the time of his life, so it would seem. I couldn't help but feel a little twinge of jealousy towards Eleazar. I had always assumed that we would both be sorted into the same house, and I hadn't really considered that we would be separated.

Eleazar looked up, and when he saw that I was staring at him, he smiled, mouthed something that I couldn't quite make out.

"What?" I mouthed back, ignoring the curious looks that Orion and Estella gave me.

Eli mouthed something back, repeating it a couple times before he gave up. He shrugged, and continued the conversation with his fellow Gryffindors.

"Ugh," I grumbled, impaling a piece of chicken with a bit too much force.

"Why do you keep looking at _them_?" Estella sneered at me. "What are you saying to them?"

"Its not a them. It is my brother. I couldn't care less about the other Gryffindors." _Plunk, _my fork hit the food on my plate a little harder than I intended.

"But still, he is a bloody Gryffindor now! Aren't you ashamed? He was supposed to be in Slytherin, like all Malfoy's are. Like _you _are."

"And who decided that? The sorting hat obviously did not agree. I do not agree." _Plunk, plunk, plunk. _I shredded through my chicken, not stopping to eat it. "That's the lovely thing about being a Malfoy. What you are supposed to do is whatever you want to do. I can't say the same thing about you, Crabbe."

It was a well known fact to me that the Crabbe's had lost a significant amount of their fortune after the fall of the Dark Lord. All the families of Voldemort's supporters had, including mine. However, unlike the Crabbe's, the Malfoy's had wisely invested after the loss, and incurred even more money than we had lost. We had spare money, enough spare money to find a small nation for the rest of our natural lives. The Crabbe's, on the other hand, had lost their mansions, vacation homes, and many connections with my kind after their investments backfired. Now, her parents had to work less respectable jobs with a lower pay grade to support their family.

I don't have an issue with people who have to earn their keep. In fact, I applaud people who make money through their hard work. I previously had nothing against the Crabbe's, and I still do not. Despite this, I had a goal in saying these things, even if I truly did not mean them. That goal was to get Estella to shut up. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as expected.

Estella's reaction was immediate. She looked as if she had been slapped, and I knew I had hit a nerve. The whole table stopped and watched, all of them stunned into silence. Estella's shock steadily turned into rage, complete with a reddening complexion and narrowed eyes.

"How dare you!" she shrieked, causing the Ravenclaws nearest to our table to stop and stare. "Do you know who I am? I will make your life miserable if you do not apologize immediately."

"Do you know who I am?" I countered, refusing to laugh at her. Yes, I did know who she is, and she had _nothing _on me. I knew who she was, a shallow, superficial, and rude person who obviously didn't know who to pick fights with. Smirking, I straightened up and continued, aware that the attention of all the Slytherins were on me. "I honestly would be honored if I were you. I took enough notice to you to even speak to you, despite knowing your horrid background. I will not apologize, and I dare you to see what happens to you if you even think to become a nuisance to me."

I met her glare, my expression now impassive. I would not look away first, or even blink. Too look away is to concede at this point. She seemed to think so as well, her angry gaze burning into mine. Finally, she blinked and glowered at her plate.

Seeing her thoroughly beat (at least for the moment) I looked around the table once more. Devonian looked slightly intimidated, actually, almost everyone looked a bit frightened. The only exception was Scorpius, who was laughing so hard it was a wonder he did not topple off of his chair.

_Plunk, plunk, plunk. _I attacked my chicken once again with renewed vigor. I couldn't taste it.

I entered the transfiguration classroom before anyone else, save a couple of Ravenclaws who sat huddled in a corner. They stopped and stared at me when I entered, then hastily looked away and continued their conversation with a little too much enthusiasm. Rolling my eyes, I sat down at a seat in the far back.

News of my encounter with Estella had spread around the school quicker than I could have possibly imagined. Everyone knew what happened last night, and no one dared cross my path since. I hadn't expected to start my first day of classes alone and completely friendless.

I pulled out a piece of parchment and my quill and began to draw. They were senseless doodles, really, miniature flowers and animals sketched along the boarder. In the center, I started to draw my cat. A few minutes had passed when I noticed movement to my right. I had barely glanced up when someone dropped into the chair next to mine.

"So you are the infamous Ellianna Malfoy," drawled Jem as he put his feet on top of the desk and leaned back in his chair. "To be honest, I would have expected you to look a little more intimidating. And a bit taller. You were so nice on the train."

I raised my eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid I will hex you or something?" I said by way of answering.

"Nope. You don't look the type to hex an innocent. And anyways, your brother said to tell you if you did, he would turn your hair into yarn again. I'd say that I am fairly safe."

"Okay then. Is there a reason you came over here then?"

"Yep."

"And that would be..?" I trailed off, waiting for him to finish.

Jem looked at me for a moment with a small grin on his face. More students had entered the room, among them my brother, Phoenix, and Devonian. They had stopped to give us an inquisitive look before going to find their own seats. Devonian came over and had set his stuff down on my left as Jem had gotten up. Jem said nothing as he went and sat with his housemates.

"What did Potter want?" Devonian gestured to a couple of Slytherins who had just entered. I remembered that their names were Carina and Jason. Carina had sat next to me, in the seat that Jem had left while Jason dropped his things into the seat next to Devonian.

"I'm not sure."

I chatted with Carina about the summer, where we had spent it. As it turns out we both spent time in the Italian countryside in villas that were only a few miles away from each other during the early part of July. I learned that she was a Bulstrode, one of the few pureblood families who retained their wealth. When even when class had started, we talked in hushed tones as we attempted to transfigure our quills into rabbits.

"I think I am doing something wrong." Carina mumbled. She seemed to be able to change her quill into anything else but a rabbit. I had watched with amusement as she changed the quill into a teacup, the teacup into a tiny wooden sculpture, and the wooden sculpture into a candle. She held up the candle for me to see, and I laughed.

She murmured the spell once again, and the candlestick turned into a squirrel, which she was now holding up by its tail. "Ew!" Carina yelped and threw the animal to the ground.

I laughed even harder, as did Jason and Devonian. Carina glared at us at first, then started to giggle. "Is now a good time to mention that I am horrendous at transfiguration? My last tutor was simply atrocious and lazy. I am now positively terrible at transfiguration because of her." She huffed in between giggles.

"What about the tutor before that, and the tutor before him, and the tutor before him?" Snickered Jason.

Carina's face scrunched up, but before she could respond, Professor McGonagall appeared behind us.

"Time's up!" Exclaimed McGonagall. "If you had not properly transfigured your quill into a rabbit, you will cost your house five points a piece." Everyone looked at their fellow housemates and groaned. "But, for every person who has completed the assignment, you will receive ten points."

There were only three Hufflepuffs in the room, only one of them had managed to transfigure a quill into a rabbit. All five of the Ravenclaws had completed the assignment. Five of the eight Gryffindors had transfigured their quills into rabbits, but one of the girls was caught trying to do someone else's work for them, costing them another ten points. Of the seven Slytherins, only Carina had failed to finish the task, earning us a total of fifty-five points.

Jason and myself were still teasing Carina as we left the room. I had completely forgotten about the conversation that I had with Jem earlier until he grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the group.

"What?" I yanked my arm away. He released me immediately.

"Sorry." He ran his hand through his hair. "Didn't mean to startle you. Your brother wanted me to ask if you would go meet him by the lake after dinner. He wants to talk to you."

"You didn't have to cause a scene to say that." I inclined my head in the direction of a group of Hufflepuffs who lagged behind to watch us. "Why didn't Eli come and tell me himself? We already had a couple classes together."

"Little Malfoy, I always cause a scene. Don't you forget it." He smiled and waved at the Hufflepuff girls, who giggled and blushed furiously. "And your brother didn't come up with this brilliant plan until after, I assume."

"Alright, I will be there, but only if you tell me why you came to talk to me earlier. Gryffindors and Slytherins don't usually talk to each other in class, right?"

"I'm not usual. Usual doesn't apply to me. And I was curious about you, still am honestly." He glanced at his watch. "But that can wait for later. I will see you after dinner." He grinned and ran off.

"I thought I was going to meet with my brother!" I called out after him, but he hadn't heard me.

**What do you think about the story? Let me know, please! **


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The rest of my classes passed without anything of importance or of an unusual nature occurring. Like any other day of what I assume an average day of school looked like, I was assigned a task to complete during class, lectured at, and given homework. While other classmates mingled with each other, I sat alone drawing on a partially used piece of parchment. I was largely ignored, other than the few times a student would point me out and say something along the lines of; "That horrible Death Eater spawn," while the people around him would snicker at his so called cleverness. These students were saluted for their stupidity by me sticking my middle finger in the air, for all to see, when the teacher was not paying attention. There were some snickers from my fellow Slytherins at this, but for the most part I went unacknowledged.

Currently, I am in the Library, huddled in a chair by a window. The sun shone through the stained glass, both warming my back and throwing rays of colors on my herbology textbook. Other than the occasional rustling of paper, the room was silent, which suited me fine.

I had figured I had a few hours of time to kill before dinner, and I thought that I might as well do my homework. There wasn't a lot of it, so I had finished that up an hour or so ago. Not knowing what else to do, and having no desire to leave my comfortable position, I began to read ahead for herbology.

Herbology has always been one of my better subjects. My mother has a massive greenhouse right off our kitchen, and she has taught me how to care for almost every plant that is in there. However, she never taught me herbology by having me read. Now I am realizing that she might have been attempting to spare me from the dreadful boredom that comes with reading from a textbook.

Signing, I closed the book in my lap and gathered my belongings. It is close enough to dinner time that it wouldn't be strange if I were in the Great Hall. Besides, I may need the extra time in case I got lost in the endless and confusing halls on the way there.

As it turns out, I didn't get lost on my way to the Great Hall. I was a bit delayed, however, when Peeves took my school bag and threw it down a flight of stairs. A few on looking students laughed at this, but promptly stopped and walked away when I froze Peeves midair.

By the time I made it to dinner, I assume that the word of my incident with Peeves had gone around. Several students, if possible, shot me even more terrified looks than before. A couple of Hufflepuffs nearly tripped over their own feet in their hurry to get away from me as I made my way to the Slytherin table.

_Thunk._

Estella's delighted cackle resounded around me. I looked up at her and snarled, "That was a bit rude, wasn't it? But a bit of a slip up can be forgiven if managed quickly, right? I would have thought that your mother had taught you that at least." I raised my eyebrows at her, hoping she wasn't so stupid that she wouldn't get my double meaning. I pulled the glob of cooked carrots out of my hair that she had flung at me using her fork as a catapult.

Her eyes scrunched up a bit as she thought about what I had said and how to come up with an appropriate response. Shock then rage contorted her features. "I don't know what you are talking about," she said simply as she sent another chunk of vegetable at me.

With reflexes I didn't know I possessed, I caught the hunk of cauliflower en route to my face. "You don't know when to stop, do you? Keep it up and you will get burned." I paused to wipe off my hand then added, "Just like your mum."

I had known that she wouldn't stop after I said that. Actually, I am pretty sure that there was nothing that I could say to get her to just sit down and eat her dinner and leave me alone. I would have to be under the imperious curse to say anything that would have produced such behavior. In fact, I wanted her to continue, but I just wanted her to do so on my own terms and under my control.

Estella gave a primal shriek as she grabbed her plate and brought it down where my head was just a moment before. I had managed to launch myself out of my seat just in time. There was a loud crack as the plate met the edge of the table. This was followed a sound like chimes as the little shards of broken glass clattered to the ground.

All conversation in the Great Hall had stopped. Everyone was focused on us.

Estella shrieked again, launching herself over the table. She made hand gestures like she was going to strangle me. I stifled a laugh as she knocked a glass of orange juice down her front.

I schooled my expression to look as innocent and startled as I could manage without damaging my dignity. Professor Longbottom came behind Estella and restrained her arms as McGonagall began to lecture her on the spot.

"What on earth possessed you to do this?" The headmistresses expression was frighteningly calm, contrasting greatly with the anger in her eyes. "I already warned you at the beginning of the year that I would have none of this! Detention! For twelve weeks! I will not tolerate you attacking other students."

"But- but- but that's not fair!" Estella wailed, looking thoroughly horrified.

"Fine then. Have it your way. You will serve detention for twenty weeks for Professor Longbottom. You will not be allowed to visit Hogsmead until after Christmas break." Professor McGonagall stopped, seemingly satisfied that she had ordered the proper punishment for that little brat. She then turned to me. "As for you, I will be informing your parents about this, I expect that they will handle this much better than I could. Please don't make a habit of aggravating other students to the point where they feel the need to assault you with the nice dinner plates."

"Can I taunt other students if we are using the ugly dinner plates?" I couldn't help but say.

Professor Longbottom smirked, but tried to hide it. The headmistresses expression didn't change at all. She turned away and called over her shoulder, "Twenty points from Slytherin house!"

Professor Longbottom released Estella, giving her a glare that clearly said "stay put." Then he looked at me. He didn't look intimidated or scared, as I have come to expect, but instead a bit curious. "Estella, I expect you to be in my office tomorrow immediately after dinner for detention," he said. "Ellianna, for your sake I hope you turn out more like your mother than your father."

I glared at him, but before I could say anything, he turned and walked away.

I paced around the lake, waiting. I had been here for a few moments, but I wasn't sure where exactly my brother would be. I don't like waiting; I dislike lines and people being late. I wouldn't quite say that Eleazar was late quite yet, but he was definitely taking his sweet time. With that, combined with the altercation between myself and Estella, I was in a terrible mood.

Usually my surroundings would be soothing to me. I love water, I always have. My family lived in a villa on the southern coast of France. My father built the house for my mother as an anniversary gift. I was five when we moved into the house, and I immediately loved it. There were windows everywhere and they were usually open to let the breeze and the and the sound of the ocean in. I became accustomed to falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing into the land.

But the lake is never quite the same as the ocean. And I was in too terrible of a mood for even the water to make an impact on me.

"Oi! What are you doing!" I exclaimed as I felt arms encircle my waist and hoist me up in a huge bear hug. "Eleazar! Put me down." I laughed and punched him in the shoulder.

Eli set me back down on the ground. "I'm impressed, womb mate. We have hardly been here a full day and you have already frightened off half the student body, cursed a school ghost, and made a mortal enemy. I think you set a record, or something."

I scowled at him, and punched him in the shoulder again. "I didn't do any of that on purpose. Except for cursing Peeves. That was completely intentional on my part."

"Little Malfoy," a voice drawled from behind me. "You know, I still don't believe you are the intimidating type. It's a bit ridiculous of you to try so hard to change my mind. I mean seriously, pissing off Estella and hexing Peeves is just a bit much. If you wanted my attention you could have just said so."

I rolled my eyes at Jem, who was walking down to meet us with Phoenix and Rose. Rose looked annoyed, with her arms folded tightly across her chest. I inwardly scowled when I saw her.

"Of course, when I was teasing Estella and hexing a ghost, I was _surely _doing so for your attention. Like I totally need to add another annoying, arrogant bastard to the list of crap I have to deal with on a daily basis. Because obviously, everything I do happens to revolve around you. To hell with the fact that I literally have only known of your existence for a day. Psh. Screw rationality right?" I sneered, putting more venom in the words than I intended to.

Jem looked hurt, Eli looked shocked, and Phoenix and Rose had only heard the last bit of my rant so they didn't really react.

"Rough day, eh?" Eleazar said softly. He sat down on the ground and patted the ground next to him.

I sat down and sighed, burying my head in my hands. "Why didn't I listen to Dad? He warned me that people are a pain to deal with." Eli patted my shoulder.

"Well that is a pessimistic way to look at things." Jem said. I looked up and saw that he had sat opposite of me.

"Well I happen to come from a long and undiluted line of purebloods. Pureblood families that are filled with dark secrets, even darker magic, and pessimistic worldviews. Please forgive my lack of optimism."

"You forgot sarcasm in the list of traits you inherited." Phoenix quipped in. He had managed to drag the reluctant Rose with him. With us all sitting down we formed a bit of a lop-sided circle.

I looked at them for a second, surprised that they were still there. "Sarcasm isn't inherited. It is learned." I smirked again.

"Duh. She probably learned it at the same time she learned the Unforgivable Curses." Rose huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Rose!" Jem exclaimed. "That is uncalled for!"

"Yeah, it is. Not to mention rude. I learned about the Unforgivable Curses wayyy after I was taught how to be a smart ass. There are some things more important than curses." I sneered with my head held high.

Phoenix laughed at this, trying to ease the tension, and failing miserably. Jem and Eleazar still looked uncomfortable, and Rose looked, well, like she was having some intestinal issues.

"Come on you guys," Rose huffed. "You can't just trust them right off the bat! They are Malfoys!"

"So you think that just because some people in our family have made bad decisions before we were even born that we are doomed to do the same?" Eleazar said, speaking up for the first time in a while. "That just because our dad made a mistake as a kid, that we are evil. Wouldn't that make you just like your parents, then? Have you fought against an evil wizard overlord recently and won?"

"He has a point, Rose." Jem attempted to reason with her. "They haven't done anything to us. They have given us no reason to not trust them."

"Eleazar seems fine. I just don't trust her," she pointed at me. "She is the one who seems to be psychotic."

"Well appearances can be deceiving. She has been nothing but, well, decent, I guess. Considering everything, she is decent."

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes. "Everyone strives in life to be decent. Why be great if you can be mediocre?"

"Speaking of greatness, I heard that your mum is Astoria Greengrass." Phoenix said a bit too brightly. "The same Astoria Greengrass who played Seeker for the Hollyhead Harpies during the Quidditch World Cup in 2001."

"Technically speaking, she was Astoria Malfoy then." I said.

"But other than that you are correct," Eli continued. "Why do you mention it?"

"You should try out for the team! With your genes, we would have to win." Phoenix basically shouted. "Unless Ellie over here decides to try out for Slytherin."

"Oh please," both Eli and myself said at the same time. I laughed. "You are forgetting about Scorpius. He is the Slytherin Seeker. When I make the team we would have to win simply because there are two Malfoys on the team."

Talk of Quidditch continued. James' mother, as it turned out, played for the Hollyhead Harpies as well, and his dad was the Seeker for Gryffindor back when he was in school. Phoenix was not only a Chaser, but he was team captain. Neither of his parents played, but his uncle did, and he taught him how to play. Rose didn't play. I think that she wishes she could, but she claimed that her studies were more important, and that Quidditch just made egotistical jocks out of those who played it.

We ignored her, and really continued to do so until we decided to head back to the castle. We had no clue what time it was, or if we had stayed out past curfew, so we each snuck back into our respective dorms after saying goodbye.

I was nearly caught on my way down to the dungeons, but I had managed to climb into a small alcove off a hall where an average sized person would have never been able to fit into. Since the alcove was so small, the cranky old lady that passed by didn't notice me. I think her cat might have, but the lady was carrying the cat in her arms.

I thought I was in the clear once I had gotten into the commons rooms.

"Where have you been? Curfew was an hour ago!" Someone shouted as I slid in as quietly as I could. I looked into the face of the head of the house and Estella and thought to myself, _so much for avoiding detention. _


End file.
